Terms of Reference for IPPF’s Innovation Programme Research Component
IPPF would like to invite applicants to design and implement the research component of IPPF’s Innovation Programme projects with a view to publication and public disclosure of results, according to the terms of reference outlined here.
If you are interested, please reply to Ritu Mahendru, Senior Research and Evaluation Officer for the Innovation Programme, at , copying with an expression of interest (EoI) that outlines your approach to meeting these terms of reference. Details of what to include in the EoI are given in a checklist at the end.
Please submit your EoI by close of business on 04.03.16. Successful applicants will be notified by 01.04.16.
Background
IPPF is a global service provider and a leading advocate of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) for all. IPPF’s Innovation Programme (IP) ensures a safe space to implement new and creative projects to enhance learning, increase effectiveness and contribute to the evidence base of programming in support of IPPF’s strategic priorities and the SRHR sector. The guiding principles of the IP are:
· Be creative: It is vital to develop and implement new approaches to meet IPPF's goals and objectives, within the ever changing landscape of SRHR
· Be accountable: We are accountable to our clients, to ensure that our programmes address their needs; and to our donors and ourselves in working as effectively as possible
· Be effective: By subjecting our new ideas to rigorous evaluation and research, we can generate the evidence needed to test our innovation models
IPPF has identified a programmatic evidence gap in SRH service delivery: how can we better partner with men and boys to increase their participation in and access to sexual and reproductive health services? Our Member Associations (MAs) have local knowledge and expertise in providing SRH services to their clients and are therefore best placed to propose innovative ways to address this problem. Following a competitive selection process, the Serbian Association for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRH Serbia) has been selected to implement their project idea (a more detailed project description is given in annex 1):
AIM: young men in Serbia are encouraged to challenge traditional gender roles to enable more gender equitable attitudes and behaviours
Objective 1: to engage 600 young people in discussion about gender roles and traditional responsibilities through theatre-based education.
Objective 2: to challenge notions on gender roles and traditional responsibilities by reaching 12,000 online.
Objective 3: to franchise the theatre-based education to 5 civil society partners in order to continue the work of the project in reaching more young people.
In order to meet the IP’s Guiding Principles, the IP pairs each project with an independent research partner (individual or institution), with strong skills and experience in evaluation and operational/implementation research. We are therefore looking to engage a research partner to design and implement an independent, prospective evaluation of this project, working alongside SRH Serbia to assess the realisation and success of their project in accordance with the specifications outlined in this terms of reference. We seek open and enhanced sharing and publication of any results ensuing from this collaboration.
IPPF will support the successful research partner with up toUS$150,000 over the three years.
Aim
IPPF aims to understand the design, implementation and contextual factors which are the main contributors to the project’s success or failure, to enable identification of successful innovation projects with potential for scale up and replication.
Objective 1: To design an impact evaluation (IE) to answer the question “can a theatre-based intervention have a gender transformative effect on the target audiences’ understanding of SRHR gender roles and increase SRHR service seeking behavior of men and boys?”
This objective aims to empirically and independently measure the extent to which this project achieved its stated outcome through a theory-based, experimental or quasi-experimental, mixed methods impact evaluation. This study will explore the underlying determinants[1] of the project’s results, including how and why they are affected by project design, implementation and contextual factors (for example, sociocultural, gender, political, legal, physical and economic factors). This will require co-development, with SRH Serbia, of the project’s theory of change, fully examining assumptions along the entire project causal chain. IPPF proposes that researchers are actively involved in prospectively designing the project implementation along with SRH Serbia to enable a robust, prospective impact evaluation methodology. The proposed study question or questions will be confirmed for evaluability or amended in consultation with SRH Serbia as part of finalising the study design. While a full economic analysis is not required, the IE will consider the project’s cost effectiveness to the full extent that data are available. Results of the IE will inform future project improvements, scale-up or replication of activities in other contexts.
Objective 2: To contribute to the global body of knowledge on partnering with men and boys in SRHR by disseminating robust evidence and lessons from this work
This objective aims to contribute to the wider evidence base on partnering with men and boys through dissemination of the findings from the evaluation to a wide variety of targeted audiences, including but not limited to policy-makers, implementers and academics. Use of creative dissemination activities and channels are encouraged, as well as publications in peer-reviewed journals and open-access platforms.
Methodology
Current evidence on the impact of partnering with men and boys in the field of SRHR have begun to report promising approaches, but methodological limitations persist, as exampled in a recent review commissioned by IPPF[2]:
· few quantitatively rigorous studies exist
· many are limited to a short timeframe where impact on behaviour change may not be seen
The successful applicant will be expected to work closely with SRH Serbia to both design and implement the project. This work will therefore start with a project inception meeting, attended by the successful applicant, SRH Serbia and IPPF’s Project Support Team (PST), to agree roles and responsibilities (to be documented in a collaboration agreement), develop an initial theory of change and create a joint implementation plan for the duration of the project.
IPPF supports the establishment of a consortium to undertake this research piece, where consortium partners are sub-grantees managed by the successful research applicant. In particular, international applicants are encouraged to work with national researchers in Serbia.
Timeline and travel
The successful applicant’s time will be spread across a maximum of 38 months. Depending on their location, travel will likely be necessary to visit field locations and this should be included in the funds available.
Selection process
IPPF will review all applications for adherence to the criteria set out in these terms of reference. A combined internal and external review panel will then select a shortlist of applications based on the cost-effectiveness of their proposed approach, as well as its technical / methodological merits in meeting each of the objectives above. Preference will be given to applicants who clearly address each objective individually.
Innovative evaluation techniques are also welcome. Preference will be given to those who demonstrate a pragmatic approach, prioritising designs that will be useful to SRH Serbia programme managers and decision-makers. Successful applications will therefore likely propose mixed-method designs and have a communication plan that ensures that there is ongoing feedback to project managers for incremental project improvement and course correction. Given the gender-responsive nature of this project, the design will be explicitly and thoroughly grounded in a gender-responsive design framework.
Consideration will also be given to the applicant’s demonstrated experience in SRHR, using a gender and equity responsive lens. The final selection from this shortlist will be made jointly by IPPF and SRH Serbia and will include consideration of logistical working arrangements.
Roles and Responsibilities
Research Partner:
Implement the proposed IP Research Component in collaboration with SRH Serbia’s IP Project:
· Work with SRH Serbia to design the research approach to meet the objectives specified above, which SRH SERBIA expects will include a mixed-method impact evaluation and a process evaluation that will focus on implementation questions in annex 2.
· Arrange ethics approval for the proposed IP Research Component[3].
· Register the proposed research on suitable evaluation registry, e.g. 3ie’s RIDIE, if appropriately qualified for inclusion
· Maintain close communication with SRH Serbia to share findings from routine monitoring, evaluation or research activities
· Co-own data collected with other parties (IPPF and SRH Serbia) and ensure that research findings are publically available.
· Submit to IPPF semi-annual written reports including a description of results/findings, observations and recommendations of the research, along with a fiscal report
· Author the final write-up of this research preparing various formats suitable for journal publication and other dissemination activities & audiences, such as a plain-language, accessible main report of not more than 60 pages (not including annexes), a four-page brief suitable for decision-makers and an infographic.
· Prepare a clear dissemination plan, including conferences, media and publication (during and after the study)
SRH Serbia:
Implement the IP Project in collaboration with the successful research applicant:
· Maintain close communication with the successful research applicant to share findings from routine monitoring, evaluation or research activities
· Support the successful research applicant to collect and interpret data, including the sharing of data routinely collected by SRH Serbia where needed.
NB: Although SRH Serbia may be able to support the successful research applicant to collect data, this cannot be confirmed until a more detailed discussion between SRH Serbia and the successful applicant can take place. Therefore, for the purposes of this EoI, applicants should assume that SRH Serbia cannot support data collection.
· Co-own data collected with other parties (IPPF and the successful research applicant)
· Co-author the final write-up of this IP Research Component where appropriate
· Advise the successful research applicant on the types of dissemination materials needed for local target audiences
· Where appropriate, propose local research partner to partner with
IPPF Secretariat:
· Facilitate communication and contact between the successful research applicant and SRH Serbia
· Facilitate contractual arrangements between IPPF and the successful applicant
· Assist in organizing travel logistics for the successful research applicant
· Co-own data collected with other parties (SRH Serbia and the chosen research partner)
· Co-author the final write-up of this IP Research Component where appropriate
· Co-ordinate a final peer review process in collaboration with the chosen research partner, as appropriate
Eligibility
IPPF will accept applications from legally registered organisations that have a demonstrated record of managing similar or larger grants. At least one PI must be a Serbian national residing in Serbia and playing a substantive role throughout the entire study. The addition of an international expert to provide methodological expertise and support in design and analysis is highly recommended.
What to include in the Expression of Interest
The following information must be submitted as part of an expression of interest:
· The CVs of the Principle Investigator (s) (PI) and other members of the team (maximum of three pages, stating only qualifications relevant to this study) and a table showing the roles and time being allocated for each member over the 38 months. CVs should explicitly identify the following qualifications:
o Previous appropriate experimental, quasi-experimental mixed method evaluation experience in Serbia with similar or larger budgets
o Demonstrated experience designing gender-responsive evaluation designs measuring changes in gendered attitudes, behaviours, roles and relations
· Based on the available information in the TOR, provide an outline and rationale for the research design(s) you will propose for discussion and finalisation with the team (1200 words):
o Discuss the proposed evaluation question(s) and whether or not these are evaluable or will need further discussion and amendment
o Describe how you will develop a programme theory of change and include, optionally, a one-page example of a theory of change for a similar programme from previous work or an indicative one based on the project summary and TOR information provided.
o Describe proposed evaluation design methods and data collection techniques, with attention to the robustness of qualitative components, and how to implement the study components on this budget in the time provided and what parts will be covered by SRH Serbia.
o Describe explicitly how the evaluation will be responsive to age, sex and gendered roles and relations.
o Describe any innovative aspects of the proposed approach
o Note any qualifications to the TOR and any identified risks to implementation you identified in the TOR
· Provide a summary of how you will develop a research communication plan that will include engagement with key stakeholders, including project beneficiaries, implementers and decision-makers throughout the study period. The summary should indicate types of activities and what products will be produced. It should include a dissemination plan for the study findings. At least 10 per cent of the study budget will go to these activities and products (300 words max)
· Provide details of the institutional review board (IRB) from which ethical approval will be sought and the likely time this may take
· Disclose any potential conflicts of interest in your engagement with IPPF’s Innovation Programme
· Please provide a proposed budget:
o Costs of anticipated travel, including visas, vaccinations, airport transfers, per diems and accommodation as these are expected to be covered by these funds
o Costs for study implementation, including identification of study components that will be covered by SRH Serbia
o Costs for research participants (that meet ethical standards for participation compensation)
o Costs of the research communication plan, including communication product costs
· Please state whether VAT is included in the budget and what your overhead recovery rate is, if applicable
· Please state where you saw this terms of reference advertised
Consultant study team experience and qualifications
The following are the essential and desirable qualifications that will be assessed from the CVs provided:
Essential:
· Experience of designing and implementing qualitative and quantitative research methodologies, with at least one prior experience being in conducting a rigorous impact evaluation